Perfect Match
by zeaeevee
Summary: Shifu arranges for Tigress to meet with a match maker, to find her perfect match, so she doesn't live the rest of her life alone. But will Tigress go along with it and find her perfect match? or was he right in front of her all along.
1. Chapter 1

**Perfect Match**

"TIGRESS!"

Tigress sighed at her name being called. By whom? None other, than the Dragon Warrior himself. She was meditating at the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom before being interrupted.

"Tigress! TigressTigressTIGRESS!" Po continued as he ran up the hill. When he finally got to the top, he was panting heavily.

"Ti- *exhale* Ti – ugh – gress!" he breathed heavily, dropping onto the ground next to her, trying to get his breathing back to normal as much as possible.

Tigress sighed again. "This had better be important, Po." She said, not looking at the panda, allowing him time to recover.

After some time, Po finally recovered and stood up in front of her.

"It is important! It's super important!" he exclaimed frantically.

"Really?" Tigress deadpanned. "Because the last time you said something was important, you dragged Mantis and I to the Kung Fu exhibition… in the middle of the night!" she said with a scowl.

"It's more important than that!" Po then paused. "Well, maybe not more important. I mean, didn't you see all the awesome stuff that was there from kung fu history? The Masters Ox, Croc and Rhino statue was like-"

"PO!" Tigress yelled at him, her annoyance starting to surface.

"Okok! It's much more important than that!"

This caught Tigress' attention. It had to be really important for him to say it was more important than the Kung Fu exhibition he was dying to see before everyone else.

"And it concerns you." Po finished.

Tigress' ears perked up as she stared at the panda in front of her. "Go on." She told him, giving her full attention.

"I was passing by Master Shifu's room and I overheard him talking to someone about you." Tigress raised an eyebrow at him. What was so strange about Shifu talking about her to someone?

"It wasn't just anyone, Ti." He continued, seeing her expression. "It was a Match Maker!"

Tigress gasped and her eyes widened. Her thoughts were racing at what Po just told her._ "Match Maker? But… I'm a warrior. A Kung Fu Master and his most prized student. Shifu would never do that to me." _Tigress thought. After a few seconds, she scowled and glared at the panda before her. _"Unless…"_

"How many almond cookies is Monkey paying you to tell me this, Po?" Tigress sternly said to the panda.

Po gasped and eyes widened in shock. "TIGRESS, I'M SERIOUS!" He said, raising his paws to his head in frustration to Tigress not believing him. "Look, I know I can be childish at times, but if there is one thing I NEVER play around with, is someone's feelings and emotions. Shifu is going to have you meet with a Match Maker. I – y-you can go ask him! I'll come along to prove I'm not playing around!"

Tigress continued to stare at the panda's face, specifically his eyes to find some kind of trickery in his statement. But she found none. Only true, pure honesty… and… something else, but wasn't sure what. She sighed and stood from her sitting position on the ground.

"Ok, Po. I'll go ask him. But if this is a trick…"

"IT'S NOT!" He whined.

Tigress nodded toward him. "Let's go." she said. They left the peach tree and walked briskly toward the Jade Palace.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the Jade Palace. They entered and made their way toward Shifu`s room.

"Master Shifu?" Tigress said, as she and Po stood outside the doorway of his room, which was blocked by a rice paper wall.

"Ah, Tigress. I've been expecting you. Please, come in." Shifu said, from inside his room.

Po and Tigress looked to each other for a brief moment, and then entered.

"I assume you're here because of what Po told you?" Shifu stated once the two entered.

"Yes." Tigress replied. "Master, is this true? Did you organize for me to meet with a Match Maker?" she asked, doing her best to hold in her anger.

Shifu sighed. "Yes, Tigress. I did."

Tigress gasped. She couldn't believe it. "Y-... I- Why would you do that!" she said, almost yelling.

"It has come to my attention that you are in need of companionship, Tigress." Shifu replied.

"Compan- companionship!? I'm perfectly fine. I've already got everything I need!"

"And that would be?"

"You, Po and the rest of the five. And most importantly; Kung Fu! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yes, but do you really want to spend the rest of your life alone, Tigress?"

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked, confused.

"I will not be around for very much longer, Tigress. What's going to happen when the five decide go their separate ways and I pass on?"

"The five is NOT going to split up, Master." Tigress argued. Po still stood in the doorway, worriedly and silently watching and listening.

"Really?" Shifu raised an eyebrow toward her. "Tell me Tigress, do you think that the others would want to stay the Furious Five for very long? What do you think happened to the Furious Five before you?"

Tigress stood silent, unable to answer.

"I only want what's best for you, Tigress. I want you to be happy." Shifu told her. _"I don't want you growing old and lonely... like me."_ he sadly thought.

"And what's best for me is you making me take part in this Match Making business?! I don't think so! I refuse to go along with this!" Tigress exclaimed.

"Tigress-"

"NO!" she yelled, cutting off her master. "And that's my final answer!" she swiftly turned around, and on all fours dash passed Po and out the palace.

Po slightly stretched out his arm, ready to call out to her, but choked for some reason.

"Tigress..." he whispered, a worried expression dawned on his face as he slowly brought his arm back down at his side. He turned and frowned at his master.

"...So... you knew I was listening, huh?" Po sadly asked.

"My ears aren't big for nothing panda." Shifu replied.

Po continued to frown at his master, then turned and left the room without another word to him. This greatly surprised the old red panda. He was certain the giant panda would argue with him about arranging for Tigress to see a match maker. Shifu let out a heavy sigh.

_"Don't you worry, Po. This is more to help her realize who her match is, than it is of actually finding her one."_ Shifu thought. A few seconds passed before he turned around to face the being that had just made his presence known.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Master?" Shifu asked his master, Master Oogway.

"Yes, Shifu. I am positive. When have I ever been wrong?" Oogway asked.

Shifu thought about it and sighed. His master had never been wrong about anything when he was alive, and he definite isn't wrong since he was no longer an earthly being.

"Never." Shifu softly replied. Oogway gently smiled at his student, who he had always considered a son.

"I have seen the way they interact with each other, Shifu. I have seen the aftermath of their fights with each other. Did you know, that they both silently cry themselves to sleep whenever they have a big fight? Of course, the Dragon Warrior will apologize the next day because that is who he is; but Tigress…" he paused with a frown, "…If she doesn't let go of her pride as a Kung Fu warrior, and allow her feelings to be expressed; I fear she may lose everything and everyone she cares for."

Shifu sighed again. He knew his master was right. He was always right.

"She has made it very clear that she will not go along with the match making, but I will see what I can do to make her change her mind." Shifu said.

Oogway smiled. "There is no need for that." He said. Shifu looked at his master with a questioning expression. "Trust me, she will come around."

Shifu's ears twitched as he caught sound of the wind.

"This is all the time I have right now, Shifu. I will return, when the time is right…" Oogway said, and then was gone in the form of swirling peach blossoms.

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**Published: 22.11.2013**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Plz review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Season's Greetings Everyone! Hope you all had a great one. Can't say it was for me, my island had some really heavy rain Xmas eve and did a lot of damage. Roads destroyed, landslides, homes flooded, overflowing rivers, people died from falling debris etc. Not to mention power, phone lines, and cable lines being down, meaning no internet. Yea… that's some xmas to remember. **

**Anyway, here's chapter two. I'm happy you all enjoyed the first chapter. Hope you like this one. Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 2**

Po entered the training hall, and found Tigress destroying the wooden dummies that littered the hall. Of course, he knew she was there; he could hear her all the way from the Palace. The others stood on the sidelines, agape at the ferocity she was using to destroy everything. They figured she must be upset since she usually does this to vent out her anger and frustration. But whatever it was pushed her over the edge, as she was destroying everything that was meant to be destroyed in the training hall, and even some that weren't.

Po stared at her, the worry never leaving his face. After she destroyed the last wooden dummy, she let out an angry roar, and dashed out of the training hall. The others watched her leave then stared at the training hall, or… what remained of it anyway.

There was a moment of silence after Tigress had left, till Crane spoke up.

"W-what just happen?!" Crane asked in a shocked tone.

"I have no idea." Monkey replied.

"That feline just burst in here and started destroying everything! What gives?!" Mantis exclaimed.

"Something must have happened to get her upset." Viper said, looking back at the training hall, "_**Really**_ upset."

Po never took his eyes off the closed doors, which Tigress had not too long exited, and still frowning. The others looked at him and scowled. They moved and stood in his line of sight, but he didn't seem to notice them. Viper slithered over to him and brought her body up so she could be eye level with him.

"Ok Po, what did you do this time." Viper hissed, still scowling.

Po gave her a look causing her to gasp. "You… you didn't do anything this time, did you, Po?" Viper asked. Po simply nodded in response.

"Then what happened? You obviously know something." Monkey stated.

"So speak up!" Mantis exclaimed.

Po sighed, and for the first time since he left the palace, spoke up, and told the others what had happened.

"He did WHAT?!" the rest of the five exclaimed in shock.

"I don't believe it! Master Shifu would never do that to Tigress… EVER!" Crane exclaimed.

"Agreed." Monkey added.

"I know it's hard to believe, but he has. Why do you think she's so angry…er than usual?" Po told them.

"I agree with you guys that Shifu would never do that to Tigress, but if he has, there has to be a good reason." Viper stated

"You have a point there." Crane said.

"Viper… I'm worried about her. As the only other female in this palace, could you go talk to her? 'Cause I don't think she'll want to talk to a guy at the moment." Po told her in a worried tone, worry that was also shown on his face.

"Of course, Po. I'll do what I can. And you're most likely right." Viper replied. She knew how the panda felt for the female tiger, so whatever she could do to help, she'd do it. "I just hope I can find her. She could be anywhere." She said, making her way to the door.

"If I had to guess, with that level of anger and frustration, she's in the ironwood forest." Po suggested. Viper nodded and made her exit.

As Viper neared the forest, she picked up a grunting sound and something being hit, over and over. She entered and followed the sounds till she found the source. To her surprise, she found the female tiger punching an ironwood tree with a huge dent in it.

"_I don't believe it. Po was right. I thought she'd be meditating to calm herself, but… he knew she'd be here to let out her anger." _Viper thought. _"Hmm… he knows Tigress a lot better than I thought."_

Viper cautiously slithered towards the enraged tiger, and stopped a safe distance away, but close enough for the tiger to hear her.

Viper cleared her throat. "Um… Tigress?" she called out to the tiger. Tigress ignored her and continued to punch the tree before her. Her hands were bleeding, but she didn't care, but also couldn't feel it. Viper tried to get Tigress' attention again. "Tigress…" she called a little louder, and the tiger once again, ignored her.

Viper sighed and slithered over to a nearby boulder. She curled up her body and lay down next to it, while she watched and waited for the tiger master to finish.

Night soon came and Tigress finally stopped punching the ironwood tree. She inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. She was still angry, but not as much as she was earlier in the day. She looked over to the boulder where she knew her female comrade had gone to wait for her. When she did, she saw the serpent fast asleep. Tigress walked over to one of the nearby trees and opened up a first aid kit which she had grabbed before making her way to the forest. She took out some ointment to clean out the wounds, and then wrapped the bandages around her hands to keep them from getting infected. She may not be able to feel the pain, but she was not immune to illnesses.

Once she was done, she placed everything back into the kit, closed it, picked it up and made her way towards the sleeping serpent.

"Viper… Viper wake up." Tigress said as she gently shook the serpent to wake her.

Viper moaned and mumbled incoherent words before lifting up her head and yawning. She slowly opened her eyes and they fell upon the tiger master, staring down at her.

"Oh! Tigress… *yawn* you're done." Viper said, recovering from her nap.

Tigress nodded. "I assume Po told you what happened, and you wanted to speak with me about it?" She stated, knowing why the serpent was looking for her.

Viper nodded. "It's really hard for me to believe. Did Shifu really organize for you to meet with a… Match Maker?" she asked, whispering the last words with caution.

Tigress breathed in deeply and exhaled to keep herself calm.

"Yes… yes, he did." Tigress calmly replied.

"I see. And what did you say?" Viper continued.

"I made it perfectly clear, that I _**refuse**_ to go along with it." Tigress sternly replied.

Viper nodded. "I thought so. Did he say _**why**_ he was doing it?"

Tigress scoffed. "Yea. Something about me needing a companion for when he passes on and the Five go their separate ways, so I won't be alone." She explained. "Can you believe that!? I… I know eventually his time will come… but there is no way the Five is splitting up! ...right?" She said, and then turned to Viper for reassurance. The expression she saw on the serpent's face worried her. "Viper?"

"Well…" Viper started, nervously scratching her neck with the end of her tail. "I'm sorry to tell you this Tigress, but I think Shifu may be right. I mean… we may be the most powerful warriors in all of China, but we aren't immortal. Age will catch up to us, and it might be too late by the time we realize it."

"Wha… what are you saying, Viper? Don't you like being part of the Furious Five?" Tigress asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Of course I do, Tigress. But I don't want to be part of it for the rest of my life. I want to have a family of my own someday. I'm not sure with whom it's going to be," Viper blushed. "But when that time comes, I will be leaving the Five." She explained.

Tigress was silent for a few seconds, as she registered what Viper had just told her. Not long after, she scowled, causing Viper to gulp, as she prepared herself for the tiger's outburst.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT QUITING THE FIVE!?" Tigress yelled out.

"It's not just me, Tigress! The others have plans as well! They don't plan on being part of the Furious Five forever!" Viper yelled back, but not as loud as the tiger master.

Tigress gasped when she heard that. "Them too?" Viper nodded. "Even…Po?" she asked, with slight worry in her voice, which Viper quickly picked up.

"Well… I'm not quite sure about Po." Viper began, "But knowing him and how he loves kids, I would assume that he would like to have a family of his own someday. Of course, if he marries a non-warrior, he loses his title as the Dragon Warrior. But if he marries a warrior, he gets to keep it. But I'm just making guesses. Po hasn't really said anything about his future plans."

Tigress made all this sink in. "So… what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you should go along with this and see the Match Maker." Viper told her.

Tigress thought about the reasons why she should and shouldn't see the Match Maker. Sadly, the reasons she should won over the reasons she shouldn't. She sighed in defeat.

After hearing that the others plan to go their separate ways at some point, she realized that she'd be all alone, just like how she was at the orphanage, and didn't want to feel that loneliness again. Just like how she needed someone back then, she would need someone later on.

"Ok… I'll go along with it… but I won't like it." Tigress concluded with a scowl.

Viper nodded understandingly. "That's fine, Tigress. And I don't expect you to like it. Just giving it a chance is good enough. And I'll be there to help you every step of the way." She told the tiger master.

Tigress nodded and gave another defeated sigh. _"I can't believe I'm actually going along with this."_ She thought. She looked up and saw that the moon was almost at its highest.

"We better get going. The others must be worried sick about us…. Well mostly about me I guess, considering my earlier behaviour." Tigress said.

Viper nodded, _"Not as worried as Po is, that's for sure."_ She thought, as the two began to make their way back to the palace.

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**Updated: 26.12.13**

**Hope you all enjoyed the second chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.**


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